I just don't understand...

how I can be such a bad "dog-mom"! I really don't think I did such a bad job as a mom to my boys, who grew into fine, productive young men. However, as a mom to girl dogs (and we know what they are really called), I stink !

I have been working on potty training with Sophie and she is really doing well with that. However, she continues to take wallpaper off of the kitchen walls when she is gated in there. She still gets socks and such out of the dirty clothes basket. She still pulls her toys out all over the house. She goes outdoors and wallows in the mulch, getting it in her hair, then brings that in all over the floors. She has a very shrill bark when alarmed and she gets alarmed often. She scratches and whines to get in the bathroom when either of us are in there, and better yet, she wants IN the bathtub; again, with either of us.

This week, I was outside the front door, finally removing some Christmas greens, and she was watching intently...and barking to get outside with me. After I completed my job, I was opening the door and reaching down to pick her up at the same time, when Sophie shot out of the door LIKE A ROCKET, ran straight across the parking lot, ACROSS the street, and into the vacant lot across from us, with me chasing (I know, I know -- what a sight!) her to try to get her to stop. And since this wasn't our first time with this sort of behavior, I KNEW not to chase. I coaxed and called, using my sweetest "Mommy" voice, thinking I could coerce her into minding me. Yeah, right. I guess Jim saw me running around like an idiot over there, because he came bolting out the front door of the store, running across the street, with me yelling, "Don't chase -- don't chase -- she'll just take off like a fool again!" And she did. After several very anxious moments and a few more near-misses before we actually nabbed her, I wanted to punish her, but I was afraid she wouldn't understand why she was being punished. So, I immediately went inside and put her new harness on her, threatening the entire time I was working with the thing, telling her she would never see the light of day again without a harness and leash. I had to have Jim's assistance to get the harness on the five pound dog -- she wiggled and struggled and bit at the harness. I know, I'm absolutely hopeless as a dog mom. We FINALLY won that battle and this is what she looked like as she was trying to wiggle out of the harness...


I know what you're thinking. I've read the books, watched the Dog Whisperer, and I'm still a horrible dog mom. Perhaps, with the harness and daily walks to use up some of her energy, we will conquer this 5 lb. terror! And since I stink at mothering girl dogs, I'm pretty sure God knew that I should be the mother of boys :)